Quick mounting strap for electric receptacle



June 1, 1955 H. G. MURRAY ETAL 3,187,294

QUICK MOUNTING STRAP FOR ELECTRIC RECEPTACLE Filed May 29, 1963INVENTORS H. GILL/5 MURRAY PAUL H. WINTER BY JQJ I ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent 3,187,294 QUICK MOUNTING STRAP FOR ELECTRIC RECEPTACLEHallam Gillis Murray and Paul H. Winter, Syracuse, N.Y., assignors toPass & Seymour, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York FiledMay 29, 1963, Ser. No. 284,123 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-126) This inventionrelates to a mounting strap for quick mounting of an electric receptaclein an opening in a plate or housing available only from the frontthereof. More particularly the invention deals with the mounting of anelectric receptacle for a photo-electric cell in a collared aperture inthe top of a street lighting fixture.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel andeffective mounting arrangement for an electric receptacle having a plateradiating from its front face to close a collar bordering and projectingupward from an aperture in a plate or housing where access for mountingis only from the collar side of the plate.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide means formounting a socket for holding, connecting and exposing a photo-electriccell on and above the flat top of a street lamp fixture having acollared aperture therein and including a cap attached to and radiatingsubstantially from the top face of a socket and skirted to fitover andclose the collared aperture,, two screws extending through the capalong-side the socket and supporting a mounting strap extendingpartially around the socket below the undersurface of said top, saidstrap having oppositely disposed inwardly and downwardly directed tabsadapted when engaging the sides of said socket to expand the straplaterally to engage it beneath said top and secure the socket and cap tothe fixture.

Other and further objects of the invention and particular featuresthereof will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon aconsideration of the following specification and the appended drawingwherein is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention,with the understanding that such changes and modifications may be madetherein, as fall within the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

In said darwings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical, central section through the upperend of a street lighting fixture showing a receptacle and its mountingstrap initially positioned therein prior to tightening the screws toexpanding and clamping the mounting strap;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the screws tightenedand the mounting strap engaging the fixture; and

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the receptacle and cap.

In many instances it is highly desirable to be able to mount and supportan electric receptacle, such as a lamp socket, attachment plugreceptacle or the like in and through an opening in a plate, box,fixture or other container, where ready access is not available to therear thereof for fasteners, either because of its position, mounting orinterference by other already attached mechanism. In accordance with thepresent invention this mounting from the front is achieved byintroducing the receptacle through an appropriate opening from theforward side of the device and tightening two screws, exposed there,which laterally expand and engage amounting strap against the rear faceof the device adjacent the opening therein and thus clamp the receptaclein position.

Referring now to the figures of the drawing there will be seen at thesubstantially flat top wal lof an electric 3,187,294 Patented June 1,1965 fixture 12, such for instance as a typical form of street lightingfixture supported by a cantilevered arm some distance outwardly from apole, and carrying a globe, not shown, at its lower side to house someilluminating means. In accordance with one specific use of the presentinvention it is desirable to mount a receptacle through a flat wall 10for the purpose of supporting a photoelectric cell thereby properlyexposed to the sky, and oriented, if desired, to control the delivery ofcurrent to the illuminating means in accordance with the degree ofnatural light available, whereby artificial illumination is providedwhenever natural illumination is insufficient. Such a receptacle isshown at 14 and has an insulating shell or housing of generallycylindrical form, the top wall of which has a plurality of grooves 15 toreceive the prongs of a photoelectric cell (not shown), or other similardevice, for contact with terminals within the receptacle to which may beattached conductors as seen at 16, for controlling a lamp as is wellknown.

The flat top 10 of the illuminating fixture is representative of anywall or plate with an aperture therein, such as indicated at 17,substantially larger than the diameter of the receptacle and throughwhich the latter may be at least partially introduced into the housing.The aperture 17 is surrounded by a substantially vertical wall or coller18 preferably integral with the wall 10 and standing to sutlicientheight to permit the telescoping thereover of a tubular skirt 19depending from the periphery of a mounting unit for the receptacle 14,which unit includes annulus 20 having an inturned tubular portion 21which closely engages the outer Wall 22 of the receptacle and preferablyhas its lower end 23 spun into a groove 24 in the receptacle tointegrate the parts into a unit. Below the groove the receptacle issomewhat larger in diameter than the exterior diameter of the tubularportion 21 of the mounting unit and its cylindrical periphery 25 istapered down to the lower face 27 thereof by means of chamfer 26. Inexplanation of the material showing below face 27 in FIGURE 2 it may bepointed out that the openings for the wires 16 are surrounded byU-shaped insulating walls 28, three in number, and leaving at leastareas for face 27 spaced substantially degrees apart along a diameterfor purposes which will be later described.

The receptacle 14 and the closely engaging sleeve 21 are seen to bespaced inwardly a substantial distance from the inner walls of thecollar 18 on the fixture and at diametrically opposite positions throughthe annulus 20 are countersunk openings to receive the heads and shanksof screws 29. These screws are of substantial length in order to engagein threaded openings in an arcuate mounting strap when it is positionedas seen in FIGURE 1. Such strap is sized to fit loosely about slightlymore than 180 of the circumference of portion 25 of the receptacle andis generally flat and plane except for the two tabs 32 which extendinwardly beneath the receptacle as seen in FIGURE 1 and are bentdownwardly to an angle of approximately 45 degrees as seen. While thestrap is so sized that the inner edge 34 thereof will extend looselyaround the portion 25 the tabs 32 engage beneath the chamfered edge 26when initially positioned as seen in FIGURE 1 with screws sutficientlyloose for that purpose. This is the condition of the unit of receptacle,cap, screws and mounting strap when assembled for insertion through theopening within the collar 18 of the fixture, and as illustrated by thedotted lines in FIGURE 1 the outer diameter of the mounting strap in itsrelaxed condition is such the it will freely pass within the walls 18.Thus, the assembly can be inserted to the position illustrated in FIGURE1 wherein the cap rests on the upper edges of the collar walls 18 andthe skirt 19 closely engages the outside of these walls.

When the screws are tightened the canted portions 32 or lugs ride on thechamfered area 26 and slowly laterally expand the mounting strap so thatthe lugs finally have their tips engaging the outer circumference of theportion 25 of the receptacle as seen in FIGURE 3. Continued tighteningof the screws, which have now assumed a canted or splayed position asseen in FIGURE 3 resulting from the spreading of the mounting strap,draws the strap up until the portions 35 thereof radially outwardly ofthe inclined tabs 32 engage beneath the undersurface of the fiat top ofthe illuminating fixture as seen in FIGURE 3, whereby the receptacleunit is secured tightly over the collar 13 and the whole assemblyintegrated against relative motion.

As seen in FIGURE 4 the surface of the cap may be marked with an arrow Nfor the purpose of orienting it in respect to the sun, if thephoto-electric cell is specifically designed to be so oriented tofunction properly.

Should it be desired to remove the receptacle for replacement or anyother purpose, mere loosening of the screws to the condition illustratedin FIGURE 1 will move the mounting strap to a position beneath thereceptacle where it can under its own resilience retract to a dimensionpermitting it to be withdrawn through the aperture 17 from the top ofthe fixture. It will be seen therefore that the device can either bemounted or dismounted wholly from the outer side of the fixture makingit particularly useful in instances where the interior or rear .face ofthe cover plate is not accessible for one reason or another for theactuation of fastening means.

We claim:

1. The combination with an electrical housing having a wall with a largeopening therein, of an electrical receptacle, a plate secured to andextending radially outwardly from the receptacle and sized to overlapthe edge of said opening, a pair of screws extending through said platebetween the receptacle and said edge of said opening, a metal mountingstrap extending more than half-way around said receptacle and havingthreaded openings receiving said screws so that when suspended therebybeneath said receptacle it is sized to pass loosely through said housingwall hole, and an inwardly and downwardly extending lug integral withsaid strap adjacent each threaded hole therein, and means on saidreceptacle engaged by said lugs when the screws are tightened tolaterally expand the strap so that a portion thereof on the oppositeside of each hole from the lug engages beneath the under surface of saidwall and secures the receptacle and plate to the wall.

2. The device as defined by claim 1 in which a neck protrudes outwardlyfrom the edge of said hole in said wall and said plate has a skirttelescoping thereover to prevent relative lateral movement of the walland receptacle.

3. An electrical receptacle adapted for mounting with access only fromthe front thereof in and through an opening in a fixture wall, saidreceptacle comprising a generally cylindrical insulating housing, a flatannular plate attached to and extending outwardly from near the frontface of the housing and sized to overlap the fixture wall surroundingsaid opening, screws disposed about apart extending through said plateand alongside the receptacle and spaced to enter through the fixtureopening, a mounting strap threadedly engaged by said screws, extendingmore than half-way about the receptacle and normally size to looselypass through said fixture opening, and cooperating means on saidmounting strap and receptacle to laterally spread said strap as thescrews are rotated from the front to draw the strap toward the fixturewall whereby portions of its upper face engage beneath the under surfaceof said fixture wall to clamp the housing and plate thereto.

4. An electric receptacle having a generally cylindrical body ofinsulating material, an annular disc secured to and radiating from nearone end of said body, a pair of screws spaced about 180 apart, extendingthrough said disc, alongside the receptacle and beneath a portion of itsopposite end, an arcuate mounting strap extending more than 180 aroundsaid receptacle and having an inner Wall only slightlygreater in radiusthan the receptacle body, a threaded aperture near each end of saidstrap receiving one of said screws, the screw length being such that thestrap may be positioned beyond said portion of said opposite end of saidbody, and a lug extending inwardly and inclined downwardly from adjacenteach end of the strap near the screw aperture therein and engaging undersaid portion of said opposite end of said body, whereby on tighteningthe screws from the front of the disc the strap is drawn toward the discand laterally expanded along an axis extending between the two screws tobe substantially as wide as the disc diameter.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JOSEPH D. SEERS,Primary Examiner. V

3. AN ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING WITH ACCESS ONLY FROMTHE FRONT THEREOF IN AND THROUGH AN OPENING IN A FIXTURE WALL, SAIDRECEPTACLE COMPRISING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL INSULATING HOUSING, A FLATANNULAR PLATE ATTACHED TO AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM NEAR THE FRONTFACE OF THE HOUSING AND SIZED TO OVERLAP THE FIXTURE WALL SURROUNDINGSAID OPENING, SCREWS DIPOSED ABOUT 180* APART EXTENDING THROUGH SAIDPLATE AND ALONGSIDE THE RECEPTACLE AND SPACED TO ENTER THROUGH THEFIXTURE OPENING, A MOUNTING STRAP THREADEDLY ENGAGED BY SAID SCREWS,EXTENDING MORE THAN HALF-WAY ABOUT THE RECEPTACLE AND NORMALLY SIZE TOLOOSELY PASS THROUGH SAID FIXTURE OPENING, AND COOPERATING MEANS ON SAIDMOUNTING STRAP AND RECEPTACLE TO LATERALLY SPREAD SAID STRAP AS THESCREWS ARE ROTATED FROM THE FRONT TO DRAW THE STRAP TOWARD THE FIXTUREWALL WHEREBY PORTIONS OF ITS UPPER FACE ENGAGE BENEATH THE UNDER SURFACEOF SAID FIXTURE WALL TO CLAMP THE HOUSING AND PLATE THERETO.